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Constellation's Premiere of American Fast

Constellation awarded American Fast the 2022 Woodward/Newman Playwriting Award
Constellation awarded American Fast the 2022 Woodward/Newman Playwriting Award

What does it mean to win at all costs? That is the central question of Constellation Stage and Screen’s latest production of the newest sports drama, American Fast, directed by Reena Dutt and starring Victoria Nassif.

The show tells the story of Khady Salama, a young basketball star who dreams of leading her team to an NCAA national championship. During her senior year, Khady promises her devout Muslim mother that she will fast during Ramadan, even though Ramadan coincides with the March Madness tournament. When Khady’s story is leaked to the public, she becomes a national sensation and an inspiration for young Muslim girls across the country. However, there’s one small problem...she’s been lying about fasting.

Written by Canadian playwright Kareem Fahmy, Constellation awarded American Fast with the 2022 Woodward/Newman Playwriting Award, which is presented to the best unpublished play of the year. Along with the award, the show landed a spot in Constellation’s 2023 mainstage season. The show runs at the Ted Jones Playhouse in Bloomington from March 23 rd – April 8 th. Listen to my conversation with director Reena Dutt and actor Victoria Nasif, who plays Khady, above.

Alex Chambers runs WFIU’s arts desk, and produces and hosts WFIU’s Inner States, a weekly podcast and radio show about arts, culture, and ideas from southern Indiana and beyond. He’s the co-creator of How to Survive the Future, a podcast about the present, produced in partnership with Indiana Humanities. He has a PhD in American Studies, with a dissertation called Climate Violence and the Poetics of Refuge, and a book of poems called Bindings: A Preparation, about domestic life and empire. In his spare time, he teaches audio storytelling at the IU Media School. When he’s not in the woods gathering sound, you might see him out for a run on the streets of Bloomington.